farm cornwall

This story is calculated to make my friend (and founder of Farm Cornwall) glad of heart at the ongoing dialogue about rural innovation. It tells us:

Quinoa – the supposed ‘superfood’ from South America beloved of foodies – can now be grown as a viable cash crop in the UK, according to new research.

The grain contains twice the protein of rice and barley and is also a good source of calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, several of the B vitamins and fibre. The United Nations declared 2013 to be ‘International Quinoa Year’ to highlight its nutritional benefits.

Parts of Cornwall have been officially ‘sub-tropical’ since 2000 as the temperature has increased, allowing a number of new plant species to be grown.

A study by academics at Exeter University found the climate was suitable to grow quinoa and other exotic crops like Japanese persimmon.